LAS VEGAS — The sunshine heavyweight title remained vacant Saturday night time after judges awarded the primary occasion in UFC 282 a draw so controversial that each fighters, Jan Blachowicz and Magomed Ankalaev, agreed Ankalaev ought to have gained the belt.
Through the post-fight interview within the octagon, No. 3 Blachowicz (29-9-1) walked over to fourth-ranked Ankalaev (18-1-1) and advised him he deserved the belt.
Ankalaev was so upset over the choice he mentioned by means of a Russian interpreter he didn’t know if he would “battle on this group once more.”
“I gained that battle,” Ankalaev mentioned. “I gained the belt. The place is my belt?”
Choose Mike Bell scored the battle 48-47 for Blachowicz, Derek Cleary 48-46 for Ankalaev and Sal D’Amato 47-47.
Blachowicz appeared embarrassed by the choice.
“Perhaps we are able to have a rematch,” Blachowicz mentioned considerably sheepishly. “I don’t select the judges.”
The co-main occasion additionally went to the scorecards, and there was removed from widespread settlement among the many followers in regards to the outcomes of that battle as effectively.
Even when Blachowicz-Ankalaev was the primary occasion, a lot of the group got here to see England’s Paddy Pimblett within the co-main battle. American Jared Gordon, 34, had different concepts, dictating the tempo within the light-weight match whilst the group repeatedly yelled, “Let’s go, Paddy!”
However even a lot of the group had hassle believing the choice, with many booing Pimblett (20-3) successful 29-28 on all three judges’ playing cards. Gordon shook is head and laughed when the scores had been introduced.
“It wasn’t that shut,” Pimblett insisted. “I coasted within the third spherical as a result of I knew I already gained the primary two.”
The brash 27-year-old has changing into a polarizing determine within the UFC, however has backed up his phrases along with his performances within the cage so far, even getting a significant good thing about the doubt from the judges over Gordon (19-6). This was the primary time Pimblett has fought into the third spherical since getting into the UFC in September 2021.
As for the primary occasion, Blachowicz and Ankalaev weren’t anticipated to be the headliners, however gentle heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka dropped out due to a shoulder harm. Second-ranked Glover Teixeira declined to battle Blachowicz, vacating the title and elevating this battle to a championship bout.
The battle was even by means of the primary two rounds, however Blachowicz started to get the higher hand within the third along with his kicks that weakened Ankalaev. Then Ankalaev took the Polish fighter to the ground with about 5 seconds left and got here out swinging within the fourth.
Ankalaev took Blachowicz again to the ground with just a little greater than three minutes left and saved him there the rest of the fourth, however wasn’t capable of get a submission.
Once more within the fifth, Ankalaev got here out the aggressor by throwing punches and rapidly getting Blachowicz to the ground, the place it grew to become a wrestling match the remainder of the best way.
“I did all the things to get this victory,” Ankalaev mentioned.
Combating for the championship was nothing new for Blachowicz, who claimed the belt in September 2020 with a technical knocking of Dominick Reyes. Nevertheless, Blachowicz misplaced the title when Teixeira beat him by submission within the second spherical in October 2021.
This was Ankalaev’s first title shot, and he was practically undefeated getting into this match. He was forward on the scorecards in a 2018 bout in opposition to Paul Craig, however was submitted with a second left.
Raul Rosas Jr., 18, grew to become the youngest UFC fighter to win a match when he brought about fellow American Jay Perrin, 29, to submit by rear bare choke at 2:44 of the primary spherical of the bantamweight bout. Rosas requested within the post-fight interview if UFC president Dana White might present him a $50,000 bonus so he might purchase his mother a minivan to shuttle him to the UFC Efficiency Institute.
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